28 Jul SUNDAY, JULY 28, 2024
What a powerful testimony of God being faithful to people who trust God’s word. A man brought food from the first fruits to [Elisha,] the man of God consisting of twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain. This man and the community he came from took God’s advice to heart. They each gave from the first fruits of their harvest which in this case amounted to twenty loaves of bread and fresh ears of grain.
Then Elisha, the man of God, told the man who brought the first fruits, “Take and give what you have brought to the people and let them eat.” Hearing this, the man’s servant said, “How can I set twenty loaves of barley and these fresh ears of grain before a hundred people?” So Elisha repeated, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’ ” So the man’s servant set the twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain before them, they ate, and had some left.
Everything happened according to the word of the LORD, the initial giving of first fruits for God’s use, the passing on/sharing of what was given as a tithe for the sake of a hundred others, the multiplying of what was provided so that all could partake. The amount given wasn’t as important as the fact that people gave and what was given was distributed such that everyone had enough. No one had too little or too much according to the word of the LORD.
You, Lord, are faithful in all your words, and loving in all of your works.
May you be strengthened in your inner being with power through God’s Holy Spirit and may Christ dwell in your heart through faith. Be rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ’s love, a love that can fill every longing and void. Be complete in the fullness of God with all the saints. For it is God’s power at work within you and through Jesus Christ, God is able to accomplish far more than we could ask for or imagine. So, to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be all honor and glory, now and forever and ever. Amen.
A large crowd kept following Jesus because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. On my way back and forth to York each week, I see many signs, too. Billboard signs to be exact. According to the company that owns them, “Billboards deliver exposure to an audience 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On their website they quote the Nielsen Company who states that “nearly 90% of consumers have noticed a billboard advertisement in the past month.”
But Jesus didn’t need a billboard in order to gain exposure or get new customers. He already had an audience following him, in fact, large crowds never stopped coming to where Jesus showed up, to the other side of the Sea of Galilee or up a mountain where he sat down with his disciples. Jesus was business savvy. He recognized a prime opportunity to do as empty billboards say, “Advertise here.” On the mountaintop, Jesus was about to advertise the power of God.
Passover is near. Jesus looks up and sees a large crowd coming toward him so he devises a test for his disciples. “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” This is an audacious presumption which mirrors Jesus’ willingness to die on the cross and save the entire world. Listen to the parallels. He’s willing to take a bold risk involving great expense. He desires to purchase the bread of life so all may eat. And to accomplish the proposed goal, he must assume great personal risk.
“Oh, Jesus. What are you thinking?” Philip replies. “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get even a little bit.” Let’s fact check Philip’s argument for content because in it we find some classic ways of trying to get a point across. First of all, Philip exaggerates and inflates the cost. Six month’s wages is half a year’s worth. It’s exorbitant, unreasonable, and more than one should have to consider, especially to consider spending all at once.
Then Philip mentions bread just to prove that he was listening to Jesus’ question and can further argue that he’s actually made an attempt to be genuine. Finally, Philip underestimates the benefit of making the effort even if one agreed to incur such a great expense. You see the way people argue their point or try to sway a major audience hasn’t changed a bit since Jesus’ time. When we don’t wish to suffer loss, we break out a kit called “The tools of persuasion.”
We argue and cajole. We may deceive, intentionally or out of sheer passion. We get emotional. We throw shade at opponents or the other guy’s idea. Since the dawn of civilization, people have been questioning God. So God sent a prophet like Elisha and showed up as Jesus to communicate the fact that God is not thinking of himself. What Elisha and Jesus have on their minds are hundreds and hundreds of people hungry for the bread of life.
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, tries to be constructive. In response to Jesus asking, ““Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat,” he doesn’t thrust a hand into his own pocket to pull out money to buy bread, but he does notice what someone else has in their possession.
That’s enough in order for Jesus to act. He immediately says, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass so about five thousand people sat down. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.
Note this: Only those who followed directions and sat down were served. And only those who were seated also received as much bread and fish as they wanted. I wonder what directions God may be giving us that we’ve yet to follow, and as a consequence, we have not received all that we need in order to be satisfied. Jesus’ directions were simple. “Make the people sit down.”
What do you mean, “Make them?” You can’t make people do anything. They’re not going to listen. Don’t you know? They don’t like anyone telling them what to do. Have you tried getting anyone to follow instructions lately? Again, we could end up with disciples saying, “What are you thinking, Jesus?” But apparently, the disciples do make the people sit down.
Could it be that when something is God’s idea, that people comply? Could it be that when it’s in their best interest, they heartily agree? Could it be that when they trust the people advising them to do something, they buy into the idea?
Today’s gospel lesson perfectly mirrors all things political and all things pointing to human nature, doesn’t it? And last but not least, Jesus proclaims his desire for nothing to be lost. No one was forced to do without and nothing expended will be lost.
If we look again at what Jesus accomplished on the cross, his efforts mirror God’s desire for none to do without saving grace and for none to be lost, for what was offered was given on everyone’s behalf. There’s plenty of remnants to go around. From the fragments of five loaves they filled twelve baskets. This sign was enough for those who had eaten to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”
In the moment, Jesus did not wish to be taken by force and made king by the people. He knew that his time had not yet come so he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. Evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
The day had grown long and darkness came. The five thousand had either gone home for the night or set up camp in the grass on the side of the mountain. Jesus withdrew until the sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.
Jesus wasn’t present as his disciples rowed about three or four miles out. But then they saw him walking on the sea and coming near the boat. They were terrified. When have you felt as though you were rowing some distance and exerting yourself without Jesus being present? When have you experienced darkness or feelings of being alone because Jesus seems withdrawn?
After that did you hear Jesus say, “Look. Here I am. It is I; do not be afraid.” That’s a very powerful moment in time. Let’s pause for a moment to remember what it was like to connect or reconnect with Jesus, when we finally realized his actual presence or heard his actual voice within our spirits or within our lives.
The rest of the story is that Jesus’ disciples wanted to take him into the boat and when they did, the boat immediately reached the land toward which they were going. I’ve never noticed this detail before. When they took him into the boat, they immediately reached the land toward which they were going.
What I believe this means is that there is no delay or lag time between when a person receives Jesus Christ and they arrive at their destination. It gives me a whole new perspective on prayer for the dying. When a person is commended to God, they immediately reach the land toward which they were going. They may not immediately pass away, but they are immediately present with the Lord. What an amazing realization. We arrive at the very same moment Jesus gets on board.
And it says that the disciples wanted to take him into the boat, not that they did take him into the boat. He gets into the boat on his own accord. He dies on the cross by his own will. He journeys with us until we land on shore, until we arrive home. Wow.
John 6 continues with, “And the crowd noticed that only one boat had been there on the opposite shore of the lake and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, so the crowd went searching for Jesus.” What have you noticed about today’s gospel reading? Let us pray.
Jesus Christ, we both desire to seek you and for you to come find us, to feed and fill us. Help us follow your directions so we may receive all that you offer: to satisfy all that we need physically, emotionally, and spiritually. In your holy name we pray, Amen.